Palladium Books® Weekly Update – January 26, 2012

By Kevin Siembieda

You guys and gals are doing great helping Palladium get through our cash flow crunch. Please keep it up. Sales are up and down, but overall they’ve been very strong and helpful.

The Rifter® Subscription Drive is going gangbusters. As I have been saying, The Rifter® is a wonderful source for gaming ideas, adventures, new villains, monsters, magic, powers, etc., as well as finding ideas to keep your games fresh and set you thinking along new avenues. It’s also an awesome way to help Palladium and get a whole lot back in return. Subscribe now, and you get four issues of The Rifter®, plus a FREE Gift (there is a small charge for shipping and handling). What are you waiting for? Order your subscription to The Rifter® today.

Surging back stock sales! We’ve been seeing titles sell across the full range of Palladium products, in all its product lines, as well as T-shirts, prints and other items. Most sales are 1-4 items, but we’ve seen some big orders of a dozen or more as well. Awesome.

Pre-Orders for upcoming books also strong. We are seeing a lot of pre-orders for all the upcoming titles. Though we do NOT charge your card until a week or two prior to the actual shipping of the book, pre-orders help us to gauge demand and determine how many we should print, and let us know what we can expect when the book is ready to ship. Most of all, it tells us we are on the right track and that these are titles you want. And fear not, we’re planning new titles for ALL our game lines.

My voice is back! Well, mostly. It’s not quite as strong as normal and is still a little raspy, but my voice is back. For about three days over the weekend I sounded like Christian Bale’s “Batman” voice. Of course, this got me going through the office growling in a deep, hoarse whisper, “I am the Batman.” I talked about this in a Murmur from the Megaverse® and revealed I even assigned the Palladium staff identities from the Batman comic books. Hey, it’s bad enough being sick, figured I might as well have some fun with it. I took most of Friday, part of Saturday and all of Sunday off and rested like my doctor told me to, so I was feeling much better by Monday.

More good news from the doctors. I am doing great managing my diabetes. I’ve dropped weight, changed my diet, exercise daily and the results are blood levels dropping back to within (or near) the normal range. I still have a ways to go, and I’m only starting my Diabetes Education classes, but looking great. I say “great” because that’s the word my doctor and diabetes educators have both used. Apparently, most people drag their feet or make small lifestyle changes very slowly. Instead, I jumped in with both feet and made dramatic, sweeping changes immediately. Hey, I want to be healthy. Bad enough I had been an idiot and was pushing myself too hard and eating like garbage to the point that I gave myself diabetes in the first place. That’s the crazy thing about this disease, a) it is preventable, and b) once you have the disease (grrrrr) you really can manage it with diet and exercise.

The doctor is already talking about reducing the medication (a pill) I take and possibly getting off of it completely if I can continue to show I’m managing it with diet and exercise. The exercise part kills me too. Until diabetes hit, I just could NOT find time to exercise. What an idiot! Now I exercise for a lousy 30 minutes a day, usually walking at a brisk pace and it has made a world of difference. A crummy 30 minutes is all it takes every day. How could I not find the time before? Actually, with all the demands on my time, it is hard to make the time, but I MUST for my health, so I do. Same thing with cutting my hours down to 12 hour days, six days a week. That too has made a big difference. I hope you guys and gals do likewise. Sorry, I don’t mean to go on and on about it, I’m just very pleased with myself. :)

UPDATE: Kathryn Kozora is doing better. Kay called me last Sunday, but I couldn’t talk because I had no voice! She said she would call back this week sometime. She sounded great and said she was doing much better. I assume that means her lung cancer is finally responding to the heavy chemotherapy. I’ll learn more soon.

UPDATE: Online Sales. We did great last week and we’re doing well this week, so keep ‘em coming. This might be a good time to try that new game or pick up related sourcebooks in conjunction with that new release you’re planning on getting. And don’t forget about subscribing to The Rifter®. I think you’ll find it rewarding on many levels. My thanks to everyone who has been part of this much needed surge – you are fantastic.

A strange sales trend. I don’t know why, but starting with the Christmas Surprise Packages, there has been a sharp increase in sales of the After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. I am happy to see this because it is the last, great role-playing game created by Erick Wujcik, and it is pure fun to play.

Honestly, I’m not quite sure why AtB ever fell out of favor. I suspect the whole Ninja Turtle-mania, with the Ninja Turtles® becoming what I call “kiddified,” played a big part. As the Ninja Turtles® changed from being a super-cool, cult comic read by teens and adults into the New Mickey Mouse for kids ages 3-10, the older demographic fled from the TMNT® RPG. I suspect because the After the Bomb® setting was so closely associated with TMNT® that the line suffered too. That’s why I had Erick Wujcik re-write, improve and update the entire concept into a high-tech, modern setting where “the bomb” is the “gene-bomb,” creating, new intelligent, mutant animal life forms via genetic manipulation. As usual, Erick knocked it out of the park creating the fun and epic After the Bomb® Role-Playing Game.

Initial sales weren’t bad, but they trailed off and the game setting has languished. That always surprised me, because, 1. The subject of clones and genetic manipulation is very topical. 2. The RPG is just plain great and so much fun to play. 3. AtB is an excellent starter game for people who have never played an RPG. 4. If nothing else, the After the Bomb® RPG and the related sourcebooks are excellent for creating mutant characters for Heroes Unlimited™! 5. AtB is phenomenal whether played as a game or as a sourcebook for other games. The mutant animal creation system can be used to create aliens, D-Bees and unique characters for settings as diverse as Robotech®, Rifts® and Phase World® to Heroes Unlimited™, Nightbane® and Palladium Fantasy®.6. The scenarios and possibilities for these mutant characters are endless and soooo much fun to play. I’m glad people are rediscovering After the Bomb® – one of Erick Wujcik’s most fun game designs – and loving it.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #57 ships tomorrow. It is outstanding and you need to buy a copy! Start your subscription with it or just buy it as a stand-alone issue, because it is filled with a ton of useful source material. Like what, you ask?

Like 20 dangerous monsters designed for the Palladium Fantasy RPG® – BUT many come with Rifts®/M.D.C. conversion notes, and these “Fantasy” monsters can just as easily be dropped into your Heroes Unlimited™, Nightbane® and even Beyond the Supernatural™ campaign. Rifts® conversions (whether they are provided or you do them yourself) means the monstrosities can be used in the Phase World®/Three Galaxies™ setting, Robotech®, Chaos Earth™ and any alien environment. Furthermore, The Rifter® is where you can find source material for the games for which so many of you keep asking for new stuff like BTS™, Nightbane®, Splicers®, Palladium Fantasy® and Heroes Unlimited™, and is an excellent way to give your imagination fuel. Subscribe to it, you will not be disappointed.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria – Bigger and Better. My getting ill didn’t help this deadline nor did my decision to expand Rifts® Lemurian to 192 pages. It is the only way to keep EVERYTHING that belongs in this book. I had toyed with cutting out a few hunks and releasing it as a 48 page Lemuria Sourcebook, but I would hate to do it. It’s nice to have all the Lemuria stuff in one nice, neat, big package, so that’s what I’ve decided to do. That also means raising the price from $20.95 to $24.95 retail, but it is so worth it, and cheaper than two books.

Oh my gosh, this book is good. The closer I get to finishing Rifts® Lemuria the more impressed I am with it. Even sections that might sound ho-hum, like the Lemurian Biomancy Gardens, have one cool idea or toy for players and Game Masters after another. And I don’t mean just a cool, weird plant. There is often something you can take from the plant and use in magic or as a weapon, or for healing. Sweet, sweet stuff. As I’ve been saying for weeks, Rifts® Lemuria is brimming with new weapons, new Biomancy and Ocean Magic spells, new Symbiotes, never-before-seen living power armor, exotic creatures, sea dragons and monsters wrapped in an exotic history and setting. And since Lemurians are amphibious, there are all kinds of items in this book that can be used on dry land as well as below the waves. I hope to have Lemuria wrapped up by this weekend and to the printer next week. That means it will be a February release. Worth the wait.

UPDATE: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™. I actually did some work on this book last Friday while Matthew was going over a bunch of Rifts® Lemuria stuff for me. Endless Dead™ is another book that will blow your mind. On track for a February release.

UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook. We have one great book coming after another, and this is one of them. It immediately follows Endless Dead™ and should please all the Rifts® players who have been anxiously waiting for it. A March release.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: The Black Market. Matthew is done with the final draft. I need to start assigning the artwork. March release.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One. Matthew Clements is wild about NG One and Two. So will you be. It’s slated for a March release.

UPDATE: Robotech® Genesis Pits™ Sourcebook. Irvin Jackson should turn in the finished manuscript in a few weeks. March or April release.

UPDATE: Rifts®/Minion War™: Megaverse® in Flames™. This book will blow your mind. That’s all I can say right now. April release.

UPDATE: Splicers®. The manuscript for two Splicers® sourcebooks arrived today. Fear not, we plan to get the books in the pipeline out before we start looking at new material, but you can look forward to Splicers® sourcebooks later this year. (Along with sourcebooks for Chaos Earth™, Beyond the Supernatural™ and Palladium Fantasy®).

UPDATE: VisionCon – Springfield, Missouri, February 16-19 – Kevin Siembieda, Gaming Guest of Honor.Yep, I’m the gaming guest of honor at what will be a fun time for all. I know it’s real, because my flight and travel information arrived early this week.

In addition to me, Jolly and Barbara Blackburn (KoDT) and a host of other interesting guests, I spoke with Madman Mike Leonard, and he says he’s planning on braving the two hour drive to be at VisionCon for at least one day (probably Saturday). Writer Mark Oberle and a few other Palladium creators said they plan to be there too. I’ll be at VisionCon all day Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday. I’ll be sharing a table with Jolly and Barbara Blackburn, and available to chat and sign autographs when I’m not in a panel talk or running a game. I hope to see a lot of Palladium fans. http://www.visioncon.net for more information about VisionCon.

UPDATE: Palladium Open House (POH), May 4, 5 & 6, 2012. This is the event you should be planning on attending. The Palladium Open House is dedicated to role-playing, fun and lasting memories. Come on over for one day or the entire weekend, but come on over. Note: See the POH description at the end of this Weekly Update for more info.

POH V.I.P. Thursday tickets go on sale February 1, 2012. That’s next Wednesday. This is the last of them and they are expected to go fast, so be prepared to place your order. VIP Night is May 3, 2012, starts around 3:00 in the afternoon, includes a catered dinner, a night of gaming, and first crack at purchases. This event has an extra cost.

Open House Challenge: I want to repeat last week’s challenge that some of you should enter the POH costume contest as a Nightbane® or Nightlord, or other characters from the Nightbane® RPG . . . if you dare. And let’s see a lot of people entering the Costume Contest Saturday evening.

Don’t forget to check out Carmen Bellaire’s YouTube video reviews of Palladium product. Carmen Bellaire and William “Big Will” Johnson have started to post video reviews about Palladium role-playing games and sourcebooks. Check them out by going to: http://www.youtube.com/user/Maloquinn

Sneak Previews on DriveThruRPG.com are coming soon, starting with Rifts® Lemuria. There are 90+ backstock titles, including back issues of The Rifter®, first edition rule books, other sneak previews and the Rifts® Game Master Kit all available as PDF downloads at reasonable prices.

As you can see, I’m brimming with enthusiasm. You’ll understand why as soon as you see the first few new releases of the year. They are epic. Even The Rifter® #57 is super. But there’s more to talk about. The Palladium Open House is coming up FAST. We need Game Masters to run games at the Open House and at Gen Con Indy. We have other projects boiling that I’ll talk about in upcoming Weekly Updates.

In between, I’ll continue to try to post frequent Murmurs from the Megaverse as well as on the Palladium Facebook page. Keep those imaginations burning bright, and game on!

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

Food for thought

The 2011 Christmas Surprise Package offer was another great success. By this time I usually stop sharing comments from fans, but there were three among the last batch to place orders during the extension that I want to share. They are the kind of things that keep me going and are another example of the awesomeness of Palladium fans. They have nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with courage, friendship and joy. (Hmmm, re-reading that last sentence, I’d say that has everything to do with Christmas and drinking in the richness of a life worth living.) Again, I thank these fans and all of you who sent comments in Surprise Packages or as Private Messages, online postings, emails and cards. You and your comments are appreciated.

– Kevin Siembieda & the Palladium Crew

S.G. in Arlington, Texas, writes: I just wanted to end my comments with a quote from an article I recently read that made me think of all of you (I hope you don’t mind):

“Face Challenges with Courage, C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully, but as a determination to live decently. Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.’

“There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember – David did win! Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve. Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’” – Thomas S. Monson

Everyone at Palladium Books is a shining example of courage and decency to me. God Bless, and looking forward to a great new year. See you all in May!

W.L. in Olympia, Washington, writes: Greetings again to Santa Kevin & his happy elves . . . I have decided to invest in the future of Palladium, and I see it as a bright one! Though I know from reading the musings that there are some dark clouds looming overhead . . . damn Kevin, you are on a roll. I think the time, energy and effort being put out for Palladium will surely help to cement the solid core of us gamers loyal to Palladium, as well as attract new blood young to role-playing and disenfranchised with the competition. My own finances have been extremely tight this last year, otherwise, I would have bought nearly every new book that came out . . . I hope your hard work and dedication pays off soon!

T.C. in Lawrenceville, Georgia, writes: It is no surprise for you that times are tough for your players. I am sure you experience the same trials we do. But you should know that your games have allowed me and several friends an inexpensive weekend social activity. Instead of putting our money on movies or concerts, we plan modest group meals and gush over the exploits of Cyber-Knights and Techno-Wizards. You keep up the work and we will keep up the laughs.

The Rifter® #57

– Ships Friday, January 27

Looking for new ideas and material for your campaign? Then you want The Rifter®. The greatest value of The Rifter® is that every issue offers new and different ideas, and gets your imagination running in directions you might not have considered. It’s an idea factory that will help you generate new ideas of your own, and it also presents valuable source material you can drop right into your games.

The Rifter® is your doorway to unlimited imagination and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new monsters, villains, characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, adventure and ideas for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least two or three other Palladium game lines.

The Rifter #57 is an extravaganza of monsters and mayhem to surprise your players and spice up your games.

The Rifter® Super-Subscription

– Limited Time Offer

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The cover price of The Rifter® is only $11.95 – a steal for 96 pages of RPG source material and adventures – but a subscription gets you The Rifter® for only $9.95 an issue (in the USA) delivered to your doorstep, and you can select a free gift worth $12.95-$16.95 (available only during this special offer, for the cost of shipping and handling). All prices are in U.S. dollars.

● $39.80 – USA. That’s only $9.95 each, a savings of $8.00, and Palladium pays the shipping! Plus you get to select a FREE subscriber’s gift worth $12.95-$16.95 (please include $5.00 to cover shipping and handling). That’s $44.80 total including shipping and handling for the free gift. Note: This rate is limited to subscribers in the USA only. Sorry.

● $61.80 – Canada. That’s $15.45 for each issue of The Rifter®, plus you get to select the FREE subscriber’s gift (please include $7.00 to cover shipping and handling). That’s $68.80 including the gift item. That’s still not a bad price for a 96 page sourcebook. Our apologies for the higher cost, but Palladium Books can not cover the cost of postage to other countries. We hope you understand.

● $75.80 – Overseas. That’s $18.95 for each 96 page issue, plus you get to select a FREE subscriber’s gift (please include $13.00 to cover shipping and handling). That’s $88.80 including the gift item. We are only passing along the additional postage cost, but it is hefty. Our apologies. Postal rates are out of our hands. Likewise, the purchaser is responsible for any duty or customs fees.

Note:Please indicate if the gift item is NOT wanted. You may decline the gift and get your subscription for the regular price of $39.80 (USA), $61.80 (Canada) or $75.80 (other countries).

FREE GIFT with your subscription

Subscribe now and get a FREE gift worth $12.95-$16.95: You pay only the cost of shipping and handling ($5.00 in the USA, $7.00 Canada, and $13.00 overseas).

NEW! Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™

Ships February

Endless Dead says it all. The zombie hordes grow in number and strangeness. Can humankind survive? Where is the military? What’s next for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse?

This book contains horrifying new zombies to haunt your player characters along with new O.C.C.s and tons of tables for detailing Survivors’ Hideouts, Safe Haven Communities, Death Cults and more. Survival is not enough. Now is the time for the war against the Endless Dead™. This book is epic.

New types of zombies include the Fused Zombie, Multi-Zombie, Parasite Juggernaut and Walking Mass Grave.

New O.C.C.s include the Wheelman, Zombie Hunter, Zombie Researcher, Survivalist and Watcher.

Information on vehicles and tables for adding custom armor, weapons and anti-zombie defenses.

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™

Unknown to most humans, deep within Mexico the vampires have established entire kingdoms. There they live like tyrants and gods, dominating an underclass of cattle people used as slaves and food stock. Learn more about the vampires, their rivals, allies and the humans who willingly serve their supernatural masters for a chance to join the undead. A must-have guide for those who wish to travel deeper into the Vampire Kingdoms or play as vampires and their human minions.

More human kingdoms within Mexico like the Tampico Military Protectorate and Durango, the Silver City.

Firefighting robots, hover firetrucks and more anti-vampire gear.

Magic based Vampire Hunters and human strongholds.

Techno-Wizard anti-vampire weapons and magical devices.

Profiles for Doc Reid and Reid’s Rangers, the world’s most famous Vampire Hunters.

Fort Reid, an entire city devoted to hunting the undead.

The Bloodwatch, a secret vampire intelligence agency that tracks down and exterminates Vampire Hunters.

The Yucatan Peninsula, a mysterious dimensional pocket overrun by strange demons known as Xibalbans.

The return of the Mayan god Camazotz, Lord of Bats and Darkness.

The werebeasts of Mexico and Central America; those who assist the vampires and those who fight against them.

Rifts® Black Market™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook

On Rifts® Earth, the Black Market is the most prevalent trader in weapons, contraband and magic items outlawed by the Coalition. Explore the day to day business of the market along with its smuggling routes, practices, policies and nefarious products. Encounter the five major Black Market factions in North America and foreign groups like the Yakuza, Green Scarf Sect and the Underground Railroads of Atlantis and the Vampire Kingdoms.

Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One

The largest independent manufacturer of weapons, robots and adventure gear in North America is Northern Gun™. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they have been the premier outfitter of mercenaries and adventurers for decades, and are a major hub for hiring military contractors. With a whole new product line to offer their customers, the future looks bright for Northern Gun™.

The arms giant Northern Gun profiled for the first time!

The Kingdom of Ishpeming, a puppet-state propped up by NG.

Full 109 P.A. catalog of Northern Gun products!

New weapons, power armor, vehicles, robots and adventure gear.

The Ishpeming military, essentially a framework for hiring mercenaries and privateers.

The NG Bounty Board, the largest collection of bounties and mercenary contracts anywhere on Rifts® Earth.

Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction. Their influence shakes things up across the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. More details to follow, but for now, ‘nuff said.

Soulmancer and Blood Magic.

The Seven Deadly Plagues.

The Demon Plagues across the globe.

Battleground: Earth – as demons and infernals amass their legions.

Rifts Calgary – also known as Hell’s Pit; the kingdom described.

Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.

Lord Doom, Pain and other demonic leaders.

Horune treachery, Dimension Stormers and other villains.

Global chaos and the places most dramatically affected by the Demon Plagues.

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made 90 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include: